Pray for Anthem

Please pray for God to show up at Anthem tomorrow night. We're doing two services, 7 and 9. If you could pray one thing, I would suggest, "God, send your fire upon the next generation." That prayer is the simple version of William Booth's: 

"God of Elijah, hear our cry. 

Send the fire

to make us fit to live or die

send the fire today

To make our weak hearts strong and brave

Send the fire today...

Look down and see this waiting host

We need another Pentecost

The revolution now begin

Send the fire today

(props Warnock for the vine)

Here are some pics from practice tonight...

Below: You can see "selah" on the screen. Pray that God would meet people during these musical interludes- that the Holy Spirit would put it in people's hearts to seek God and behold his glory.

Below: There is a lot of technical stuff going on... Pray for the live recording to go well and for no surprises.

James and James on the keys... Their own band is taking off. They've got a hilarious show and good music to go with it.

Clint, our drummer, lays it all on the line. Two services may be the death of him. Pray for all the musicians and vocalists to be strengthened physically and to be fervent in worship.

Alex is the latest add to the Anthem team. He embodies what God is doing through Anthem- the next generation getting sold out for the things of God.

We'll also have 3 prayer rooms going from 6:30 until ??? (at least 10:30), where people will be praying. One room is for contemplative prayer, another prayer for the nations/intercession for schools, etc and the third room for healing.

Hear Oh Lord and answer us, for we are poor and needy. (Ps. 86)

Playing for Change

Just found this link to "Stand by me". Very cool.

Props to Ed for the vine.

Family Date Night

We had $10 left in the grocery fund for the week and a 1/2 off coupon, so we went to the best pizza place in Ames... 

But first we went to the Wilson's farm, where the kids got to pet some baby chicks. 

We called in the pizza, and had some fun at the park while we waited.

At dinner, Leatha and I sat at a different table across from the kids, pretending we were on a date night without the kids. We let Ava be the parent at the kid table.

Al, the owner, graciously brought a couple cookies for the kids. The cookies were gigantic. Makai is enjoying some honey on the crust, a favorite at Great Plains.

The best part was coming home and not having to worry about dishes and cleaning up a mess in the kitchen. It was well worth the $8. 

The night ended with me climbing in bed with Cameron, and asking the boys what they think about when they lay in bed at night. As a kid, I remember laying awake in bed for a long time, pondering the world and praying to God.

I found that my kids are no different. They told me about their dreams: Beck told about a monster that tries to crush our house, while Cameron shared about getting "fives and ones" so he could buy a Bionicle.

They both talked about last week's D6 drama, where only one boy shared his toys, while the others refused to give them up. They said that if God asked, they would be willing to give up their most prized possessions, but "it wouldn't be easy."

I prayed my favorite Psalm over them, that they would be led into paths of righteousness and dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I won't sing or pitch at the game

If someone asks me to sing the national anthem (which they never will), or throw out the first pitch at a baseball game (which they never will), I will decline. It's an embarrassing moment waiting to happen...

I was checking out Jim Rome's commentary on the 58 point blowout last night in New Orleans. I knew he'd have a funny take, and he delivered. He said all the fans should be refunded, since the Hornets didn't show up against the Nuggets. 

Rome loves to reference Carl Lewis butchering the national anthem, as well as the Cincinnati mayor's first pitch debacle.

5 Days Until Anthem

As we count down to Anthem (5 more days), I've been sending out devotional thoughts to the Anthem team to prepare our hearts for Thursday. Today was a topic we don't think about enough: the jealousy of God. This excerpt is from Charles Spurgeon, considered the last of the great Puritans. They had an awe factor that made them great Christ followers... 

“…jealousy is selected as some faint picture of that tender regard which God has for His own Deity, honor, and supremacy, and the holy indignation which he feels towards those who violate his laws, offend his majesty, or impeach his character. Not that God is jealous so as to bring him down to the likeness of men, but that this is the nearest idea we can form of what the Divine Being feels—if it be right to use even that word toward him—when he beholds his throne occupied by false gods, his dignity insulted, and his glory usurped by others. ...Reverently, let us remember that the LORD is exceedingly jealous of his deity."

Here are some related verses:

Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me."

Nahum 1:2, 6- The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies... Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him."

Exodus 34:14 "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God

Is 48:11 "I will not yield my glory to another"

Isaiah 45: 21-22- Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD ? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. 22 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

Adoption

Click here for a story that might make you cry- it did me. It's sort of the climax of the adoption process for our friends, Jason and Jen Lee. 

We love you guys! God is good!